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Matthew, HVAC Technician

Category: HVAC

Satisfied Customers: 2014

Experience: 14 years experience in the HVAC field of service, installation, Manual J & D calculations

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RUUD UGPH12EARJR. Furnace not working. Can smell gas but

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RUUD UGPH12EARJR. Furnace not working. Can smell gas but no flame. Followed instructions on side of furnace but no flame. killed power, turned gas to off, waited until no gas smell, turned it all back on, no flame.

Is the inducer fan motor coming on? This is the small motor that the exhaust pipe hooks to

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

when i turn the thrmostat to fan it runs/blows air. same thing?

Matthew :

no that is the circulating blower. The inducer motor comes on first during a heat call it pushes the exhaust out of the house. it is the small motor at the top of the furnace hooked to the exhaust pipe. I need to know if this is coming on like it should when you turn the thermostat to heat.

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

ok ill go check. i dont hear much of anything though when i turn everything back on. ill go check

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

small motor just above gas on/off switch is not running, i think its the one. cant hear anything else running

Matthew :

find the furnace control board located behind the bottom door. You will see where the thermostat wires hook to this board at terminals labeled with letters. You need to find a small piece of wire or paper clip and form a jumper/bridge that connects the W terminal with the R terminal then push in the door safety switch that this bottom door holds down when it's on and tell me if the inducer draft motor comes on this time.

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

w/r bridged big fan board is on turned on

Matthew :

The big fan came on or the inducer came on?

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

seemed like the fan the board was on turned on. inducer im guessing is connected to a 4" pipe?.

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

my first time in a furnace sorry

Matthew :

your doing great.

Matthew :

The big fan (circulating blower) will come on for 90 secs after power interruption which happens when you take the bottom door off so keep the jumper in and hold the button down for a good 2 mins see if the circulating fan turns off and the inducer motor turns on.

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

k

Matthew :

While you are doing this be mindfull of the LED's on the board tell me if they blink a number code.

This is the exact model number of the pressure switch for your furnace. You need a new one I'm afraid. This pressure switch should be open at all times then when the inducer motor starts up it pulls a vacuum on the switch and closes the contacts to prove that the furnace is exhausting

Matthew :

If you take one of the two wires off the pressure switch the inducer should fire right up. Once the inducer comes on you can plug the wire back up and the furnace will ignite. Once that heat call is over though the switch is still closed so the next time the furnace needs to come on it will not until you simulate an open pressure switch again by unplugging one wire.

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

k ill try it

Matthew :

The water in the hose is probably the reason the switch went bad. You can try to blow into the switch and see if it jars loose

Matthew :

But once the switch starts to stick it will just do it again.

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

k

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

ill be right back

Matthew :

If unhooking one of the two wires doesn't reset the LED then the board is bad and is reading a closed pressure switch signal when there isn't one so you would need a new board. It is rare for this to be the case, but it is a possible scenario

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

disconnecting 1 wire worked. got flame inducer and all

Matthew :

so you need a new switch. Like I said you will have heat until the next heat call comes then the same thing will happen all over again.

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

looking at the switch now

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

k

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

too bad you cant open these things

Matthew :

yeah

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

well is that it?

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

if so thanks alot

Matthew :

That's it

Matthew :

If you call someone they are going to charge you $85 service call, $60 for the pressure switch, and 1/4 hr labor at $85/hr

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

true

Matthew :

So if you can wait for the shipping your better off ordering one it is just two wires and youc an't get them reversed

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

going to go put the switch back in

Matthew :

We get them for about 15-20 dollars wholesale that price online is about what a mark up would be if a service company sold you one

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

ouch

Matthew :

Gotta make a living :)

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

true

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

be right back

Matthew :

what bothers me though is the water

Matthew :

Is the exhuaust pipe going up through the roof of the home or does it go out a side wall?

Matthew :

Water should not be in this exhaust pipe. If the pipe doesn't have rise and makes a hard turn or something causing the exhaust to get trapped it could condense the gas and form small amounts of condensation. If the cape on the end of the pipe outside has come loose or snow builds up around it and melts this is also bad it is suppose to be a minimum of 3' off the ground if horizontal and 1' over the roof peak if it goes out the roof.

Matthew :

cape=cap

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

k

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

it was litteral two tiny tiny drops and we have not got it serviced in two years. dont yell at me. but thanks ill check it out

Matthew :

I don't really believe in yearly service. Don't tell my customers that, but as long as you change the filter there isn't much service to be done. The stuff really either works or doesn't work going in once a year to check it isn't going to change when the parts go bad.

Matthew :

If you do not have a standing pilot furnace that produces rust there is no point in service

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

hmm ok

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

well i installed it and its working on its own

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

without the trick

Matthew :

Hopefully it will not stick again

JACUSTOMER-1ah8k9ad- :

but as you said ill know what to look for

Matthew :

That is basically what I would do on a service check. take the hose off blow through it, clean the port, clean the flame sensor with some sand paper, inspect for loose wiring, change the filter, and see if the igniter looks warn. That's about it.